When In Doubt, Risk It
by BetterRunBetterRun
Summary: Sort of A/U. Following the main story of the movie with a couple small changes and extra scenes. How will Lieutenant Jordan O'Neil cope with being drafted into the Navy RT Team? Is it really all as it seems?


**A/N: This is a bit of A/U, saw this film a while ago and loved it. I'll follow the main storyline, just with a couple changes and a couple extra scenes. Thank you, in advance, if you read this! **

**-x-**

A woman walked past Lieutenant Jordan O'Neil in the opposite direction, her heels echoing loudly in the marble hallway, her dress swishing lightly around her knees as she strode purposefully on. She carried a mountain of paperwork so large that she almost had to peer over the top of it all as she walked.

Jordan, although trying to look as though interested by some of the leaflets and pieces of paper pinned to a noticeboard, didn't miss the woman's raised eyebrows, her scrutinizing glance as she looked at Jordan, top to toe. The Naval Uniform didn't look out of place in the Californian Parliamentary Building, as it was generally a place filled with well dressed politicians. Although, these politicians were generally men, dressed in day suits.

However, Lieutenant Jordan O'Neil was very much a woman - kitted out in full Naval uniform, and standing alone. It never failed to amuse her how surprised people were when they first met her. Being blessed with a unisex name like Jordan, and having a career in the navy, people's eyes almost popped out if their sockets when she would walk towards them and introduce herself. She was certainly not what anyone would ever expect Lieutenant Jordan O'Neil to look like.

And so, as she heard the woman clip-clop away down the hall with her stack of papers, she kept her eyes glued to the leaflets, until the woman had disappeared around the corner.

Women were the worst. Men's gazes, she could handle. When she would introduce herself to them, they would usually overcome their surprise and treat her with the respect she deserved - well, most of them. Other women, however - who didn't know her - would instantly judge. Most of the time, the surprised and judgemental look would never leave their faces. Jordan could almost hear their thoughts as they stared at her, her scraped back hair, her long skirt, small heels, white shirt and buttoned-to-the-top navy jacket.

Some eyes would give away suspicion immediately.

_She must be a lesbian. _

That was the most common thing Jordan could tell was running through the minds of the people that met her. The woman that had just passed her in the large, sunny hallway had just been thinking that, for example, Jordan knew. The raised eyebrows and scrutinizing look said it all.

_Who does she think she is? _

That was another good one. One thing Jordan knew, was that in the politicians world - in California, anyway - women generally didn't like to be ordered around by other woman, and so she knew the official outfit she was required to wear on duty was often seen as a threat.

Jordan sighed and smiled to herself. She was being unfair. It was true, that yes, most women were instantly judgemental. But she had come across a few who had simply accepted her for who she was - a straight, 31 year old woman, working in the navy. No questions asked. It had turned out that she had coincidentally ended up being friends with these ladies. And she knew that men weren't as fantastic as she had them made out in her head - she knew they thought similar things too a lot of the time.

Although, generally, Jordan rarely had to step out in public with her military uniform on. Which secretly, she was thankful for. She wasn't ashamed of what she did - in fact she was proud to be a member of the navy. Working in the Intel side of things, she was aware how important her role was. But, being a woman, there was always that element of self conciousness, when people stared in surprise and curiosity.

She sighed again and looked out of the full length windows that looked out over most of Sacramento. It had been a beautiful, scorching day, and the sun was slowly beginning to sink way out towards the coast, melting into the sea. The setting sun cast a beautiful reddy, orangey glow into the high ceilinged hallway, and Jordan walked towards the window slowly, her hands clasped behind her back, thinking.

She had been summoned to the Parliamentary building to speak to Senator Lillian DeHaven. She was the senator of Texas, and had been in California the past few days hammering on to the media how the world was overly sexist, bringing up situations in politics, private businesses, banks - even the army. It had been all over the TV, she had been involved in 3 hour long debates for days, pushing for women to be treated exactly the same in every area of employment.

What Jordan had been summoned for, however - she had no idea.

Jordan exhaled slowly and shifted her weight from one foot to the other nervously, fidgeting with her hat and smoothing down her hair scrunched up in her neat bun.

She hadn't heard the man approach her from around the corner, and so she jumped slightly when he spoke.

'Emm...Lieutenant O'Neil?' He asked. The young man looked her up and down quickly, clearly confused as to why there was a woman standing before him in uniform, and not the man he had obviously been looking for.

'Yes.' Jordan replied.

His eyes showed his surprise, but he quickly gained his composure.

'Senator DeHaven will see you now.'

**-x-**

Lillian DeHaven stood with her back to Jordan as she walked into the large room. It was a high ceilinged, old furnished room that was on the far side of the building, looking East, so the room was not filled with the setting sunlight and was rather dark.

A large chandelier drooped down from the ceiling and illuminated the room with a what appeared to be a glow - as the room was choked full with cigarette smoke. It hung in the air like a thick curtain, and Jordan swallowed quietly as she closed the door behind her, instantly feeling the craving for a cigarette grip her.

She had quit months ago, but found it was still incredibly hard to resist at times.

Swallowing again, harder, in attempt to rid her body of the craving, Jordan straightened her jacket as Lillian DeHaven turned to look at her.

She was an older woman - in her late 50's, Jordan guessed - and stood in a grey trouser suit, the blazer open at the front revealing a lace-like, feminine white top. Her hair was short and pure white, quiffed off to the right. Hairspray quite obviously held it in place.

Jordan quickly pulled her feet together and saluted the veteran politician the way she had done for years.

'Ma-am.' Jordan said, before letting her hand drop back to her side.

A small smirk crept on to DeHaven's face, and she plunged her hands into her pockets.

As her body shifted, light reflected off the glasses that hung around her neck, and she sniffed, her eyes travelling up and down Jordan's frame - not even bothering to attempt to do it subtly.

'Well, well.' DeHaven muttered, and shook her head softly. 'Good evening Lieutenant. Come, take a seat.'

Senator DeHaven gestured to the small, old fashioned leather couches that sat grouped together where she stood. Her voice was a rather throaty sound, her strong Texan accent a tired sounding drawl - it hadn't been at all what Jordan expected.

Jordan nodded curtly and walked slowly towards the woman before her.

The smirk was still very much present on the Senator's face. It pulled one corner of her mouth up rather unpleasantly, Jordan thought.

Jordan sat exactly where DeHaven had gestured too, removing her hat from her head and placing it on her lap gently. DeHaven's eyes moved to Jordan's hear, taking in the dark brown, slicked back hair in to the low bun at the nape of her neck.

Senator DeHaven sat on the couch opposite her, and gestured to some empty glasses and overflowing ash trays on the table, and then to the blanket of smoke surrounding them.

'I hope you don't mind, Lieutenant.' DeHaven stated - although Jordan got the impression that even if Jordan did mind, the Senator wouldn't care - 'I've just finished a rather difficult meeting with the head of state of North Carolina and the Senator of Wisconsin - two insufferable men if I ever met them.'

Jordan smiled politely and shook her head.

'No ma-am, it doesn't bother me.'

'Good.' Was all the Senator said, and Jordan was glad that she seemed to have given the right answer. She was silent again for another moment, and Jordan looked down at her hat.

'Well I had seen pictures of you, but you're slightly different looking in the flesh, aren't you?' She said, leaning back against the couch and the leather groaned and squeaked in response.

'Excuse me Ma-am?' Jordan asked, instantly confused. She hoped to God she wasn't supposed to have read some sort of report prior to their mystery meeting so that they could discuss...something.

Adding to her nerves, Jordan quickly spotted some thick files lying on a table near-by, obviously tidied away from the previous meeting.

Lillian DeHaven laughed. 'You're very feminine looking. Even in the uniform, with the hair, you still manage to look like a lady.'

Jordan shifted uncomfortably on the couch, still confused. '...Thank you Ma-am.'

'You see, Lieutenant, to me, that is important, don't you think? It's refreshing to see a feminine looking woman at work in the Navy.'

Jordan merely nodded, feeling it was best to agree.

'...And I can see it in your eyes, that you are wondering why you are here, yes?'

Jordan blushed ever so slightly, and swallowed. 'Actually, yes Ma-am, I was.'

DeHaven looked at her again for a long moment, before plunging her hand into her blazer pocket and pulling out a lighter and pack of cigarettes.

'Would you like one?' She offered, and Jordan politely refused, feeling her craving claw at her body as she watched the Senator light up in front of her and take a long drawl.

'I have a proposition for you, Lieutenant.' DeHaven stated, blowing smoke out slowly as her eyes moved back to Jordan's.

Jordan sat up straighter, listening. If this was a politics oriented proposition, she would have to listen carefully. Politics wasn't her strong point.

'I've struck a deal with the Head of State, and the Sargent at the training base in Crescent City. I want to prove that women are just as capable as men in the field - in action.'

Jordan frowned slightly and leant forward.

'I already applied for a job in the field 3 years ago, Ma-am, and got turned down.'

'Yes, I know. And did that piss you off?'

Jordan smirked slightly, unsure whether she should really admit it. '...Yes Ma-am, it did.'

'Good. I like pissed off. I know all about you getting turned down - which contributed to why I chose you. I want you to attend a training course, so you can head on out into action - to do the job you know you want to do.'

Jordan was quiet, unsure what it was the Senator wanted her to say. She sighed.

'What's the training programme, Ma-am?'

'...The Navy Combined Reconnaissance Team.'

Jordan almost burst out laughing.

'Excuse me Ma-am?' She asked incredulously, and Senator DeHaven frowned unpleasantly as Jordan's response.

'You have the chance to attend the training course. If you complete the course, you will be qualified in this field and will be liable to join the Navy in action.'

'Yes Ma-am, but-'

'I'm aware of how difficult this course is supposed to be, Lieutenant. I don't need you to tell me.'

Jordan could hear the irritation in her voice and exhaled slowly, knowing not to push her. Jordan knew fine well that the Reconnaissance Team training was the hardest Navy training course in the U.S. DeHaven wasn't joking when she said she knew it would be hard.

The two women looked at one and other, one with a face of steely determination and the other with the trace out doubt present in her eyes.

DeHaven took another long drag of the cigarette pinched between her fingers, and blew the smoke almost deliberately in Jordan's direction.

Jordan played with her hat, running her fingers along the thin brim.

'Why me? Ma-am.' Jordan hastily added on the end of her sentence.

DeHaven's eyes narrowed. 'Do you not want to do it?'

'...I think I do, Ma-am. It's just quite a lot to take in - after being declined before - and now the Reconnaissance Team wants me to join their ranks? I just don't understand, that's all.'

Again, DeHaven took a long drag of her cigarette.

'I'll be honest with you, Lieutenant. I hand picked you. If you were to succeed, and complete the training, you could help to shape the future for women in the navy, and the army.'

'So I'm a test case?'

'...Yes. But it's also an opportunity for you, Lieutenant, to prove that you can do this.'

Jordan nodded slowly. She remembered how much being declined for action work before had upset and angered her.

This was her chance.

'Alright then. I'll do it, Ma-am.'

DeHaven smirked, the corner of her mouth pulling up slyly. Jordan wondered if she was actually capable of smiling properly.

'Good. Then I have just one more question for you, Jordan.'

Jordan stopped fidgeting with her hat and held it in one hand, smoothing out her skirt. 'Yes Ma-am?'

'I commented on your...feminine appearance earlier. And I need to ask you something personal. With you being a test case, we just wouldn't want this to come back and bite us on the ass.' She leant forwards and tipped some of the ash from the end of her cigarette into the already overflowing ash tray.

'Do you...have a man?'

'Ma-am?'

'A man. A husband, a boyfriend, a bit on the side?'

Jordan smiled. 'Senator, are you asking me if I'm a lesbian?'

DeHaven cringed, and Jordan laughed.

'...There is someone, Ma-am, yes. Don't worry. I'm straight.'

The relief washed over DeHaven's face instantly.

'Good. Don't get me wrong Jordan, but you have to see that we are trying to campaign for women like yourself and the future you could have. Not women who see themselves...batting for the other team.'

Jordan resented how judgemental the Senator was, but said nothing, just nodded.

'Well...you will be notified when you start. Good Luck Lieutenant.'

Jordan smiled as genuinely as she could, before saluting, and disappearing from the room, leaving DeHaven and her curtain of smoke behind.

**-x-**

**A/N: All done for this chapter. If you wouldn't mind reviewing, I would love you forever. Haha! :) L x**


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